I was noticing at PrayTell the thread on participation. Our recent GDC discussions on faith formation are germane to this challenge. It is less a sense of “educating” believers with information. Even if said information is “true.” The challenge is to communicate authentically. According to GDC 57 the homily, for example, must nourish. The question: do we call people to faith, and demonstrate by example, or do we satisfy ourselves with head-learning, and leave it at that? Then explain away the stragglers as “furniture” or “seasonal Catholics” or as “ignorant laity.”

57. The ministry of the word is at the service of this process of full conversion. The first proclamation of the Gospel is characterized by the call to faith; catechesis by giving a foundation to conversion and providing Christian life with a basic structure; while ongoing education in the faith, in which the place of the homily must be underlined, is characterized by being the necessary nourishment of which every baptized adult has need in order to live. (Cf. Dei Verbum 24; Evangelii Nuntiandi 45)

about Todd Flowerday

A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve in worship and spiritual life in a midwestern university parish.

about John Donaghy

John is a lay missionary since 2007 with a parish in western Honduras. Before that he served in campus ministry and social justice ministry in Iowa. His ministry blog is http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com

He also blogs reflections on the lectionary and saints/heroes/events of the date at http://walktheway.wordpress.com

He'll be a long-term contributor here analyzing the Latin American bishops' document from their 2007 Aparecida Conference.